Press Your Luck:Prelude to Pendragon
by Press Tilton
Summary: Want to know what Bobby's Uncle Press was like when he was 16? Well it's all in my fanfic. I update chapters daily! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Preston Tilton awoke as his older brother threw his drapes apart. "Wake up Press!" His brother yelled. Preston, or Press as everyone called him, sat on his bed with sunlight shining in.

"I was gonna get up, but-"

"But that would've been in ten years." Brent finished for him. Brent and Press looked almost exactly alike. They both had brown hair and were tall. Press was sixteen and Brent was somewhere in his twenties. Press and Brent were very close but Brent was always off somewhere that Press didn't know of. His mother always said Brent lived in a different country but Press knew there was a deeper story.

"What do you want Brent?"

"We're going on a trip later, get dressed. Meet me downstairs at 5 o clock."

"Ok."

Press put on jeans and a t-shirt and went downstairs for breakfast. When he arrived in the kitchen his whole family was waiting for him.

"Well, it's about time you showed up. I don't like to eat frozen food." his dad said.

"Sorry Dad, hey Brent where are we going?"

"I'm not telling, it's a surprise."

"Fine. Mom, what day is it?"

"It's Saturday, dummy"

"Oh man, I forgot that I hade a project to do with Tom!"

"You and that Tom Dorney always have something to do together. It's a wonder you aren't brothers," his mom said

"Can I go?"

"No you're grounded." his dad replied

"But it's an important project!"

"Fine, but only because it's for school and I expect to see the finished project."

" Ok, bye Mom and Dad."

Press through down his napkin and bolted out the door. He ran into his backyard and pulled out his Schwinn bike. It was a breezy autumn day with the sun shining. Usually it's cold this time of year in Connecticut but the weather was forgiving today. Tom Dorney was Press' best friend since kindergarten. They did everything together, even school projects. This time ,though, there was no project. Press arrived at Tom's house and rang the doorbell. Tom answered the door.

"Hey I thought you were grounded." Tom Dorney was sixteen with blonde hair and a strong face. He looked like he should be in the military.

"I said that we had a school project."

"Works every time. Let's go round everyone up."

Tom and press called all of their friends and got a game of football going. Press loved football and he was a great wide reciever. At 3 o clock Press decided to go home so he could get some rest before he left with Brent. Press got home and took a two hour nap. His alarm woke him up and he remembered to meet Brent downstairs. But Brent wasn't there.

"Hey mom!" Press called

"Yeah hon?" came a voice from the kitchen.

"Where's Brent?"

"He's out front."

Press went out the front door and parked in front of the house was a '67 Mustang.A _nice_ '67 Mustang.It was a convertible as well.In the driver's seat was Brent.

"Cmon Pressie boy!" he called. Press ran over and hopped in the passenger seat. Brent started the car and the zoomed down the street. The warm autumn air whipped at the boys' faces. Press was enjoying this experience but he didn't know where he was going.

"Hey Brent! Where are we going?" Press yelled

"I told you, on a trip!" He yelled back

"Where is it?"

"I thought you liked surprises?"

"I do but I'd like to know where we're going."

"You're no fun anymore, Press! But if you must know we're going into New York City."

"Cool, I can't wait!" Press started to relax and enjoy the ride. They drove for about an hour from their suburban home in Stony Brook, Connecticut. They entered New York City and Press immediately knew something was wrong. They weren't in a safe part of New York. They drove into the Bronx slowly and quietly. The came to a small subway station. Brent stopped the car and got out. Press stayed in the car. Brent motioned for him to come.

"Cmon your not gonna get killed" Brent teased. Press got out of the car and followed Brent down into the subway station. The subway station was practically abandoned, Press couldn't see how it wasn't closed down. He followed Brent to the center of the platform.

"Stop right there." Some guy in a black suit was standing in the middle of the platform with a huge pistol out. He looked like he belonged to the secret service. Brent and Press both put their hands in the air. Suddenly Brent smiled. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm an FBI agent and your trespassing."

"Sure, Saint Dane but FBI agents don't walk around subway stations. Guess you need to learn a little more about this territory." The agent glared at Brent. Then he smiled. It scared Press. Then something horrible began to happen. The agent or Saint Dane as Brent called him began to change into water. The agent grew seven feet tall. His hair grew to shoulder length and gray. and he wore a black suit still. But the thing that made Press most scared was his eyes. They were ice blue and cold. Press couldn't find himself to even look at them. But when he transformed, one thing stayed. That was the gun. Brent quickly reached into his coat and pulled out a small pistol. He jumped over and pushed Press behind a bench. Saint Dane started to fire. Tiles shattered over the boys' head. Brent jumped down onto the tracks and pulled Press with him. Press followed Brent down the tracks until Brent stopped. He turned to Press.

"Do you trust me?"

"I don't know anymore but I'll press my luck and say yes"

"Good,cmon" Brent turned and pushed on the wall. It opened up to reveal a door. Inside the room was a tunnel. It was a tunnel made out of tan bricks that looked like it went on forever.

"What is this?" was all Press could say.

"Ready for that trip, Press?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Brent walked toward the tunnel and yelled,"_Zadaa_!" The tunnel started to groan and twist. The stone walls began to become transparent and crystal. Way off in the tunnel a bright light was coming. Along with the light was a jumble of sweet notes. The notes just kept getting louder and louder. The light was approaching them fast. Press felt a slight tug as the light got closer. He tried to run but Brent said"Don't fight it, and when you get there, wait for me." With those final words Press was carried off with the light. The trip through the tunnel was a very peaceful one. Press glided along slowly and didn't have to worry about anything. The musical noted started to grow louder so Press became very attentive. The light let him down very gently. He looked around and saw he was in a dark cave. Suddenly musical notes started to sound off in the distance. Brent gently dropped down next to Press. He looked very worried.

"Saint Dane came after me in the flume. We have to hurry."

"Who's Saint Dane and what's a flume?"

"Just follow me." Brent led him over to a small bush and pushed it aside. Laying in the bushes was a pair of white robes with leather sandals. Brent handed Press a white robe.

"Put this on." Press obediently put on the robe and saw it fit perfectly.

"Where are we?" Press asked

"Follow me!" Brent said urgently. He ran over to the wall and started to climb. Press followed Brent up the wall. Brent flipped open a trapdoor and held it while Press climbed up. Press noticed a strange star symbol on top of the trapdoor. Brent covered the door with sand with his foot. They walked down another tunnel and Press heard the sound of water. What he came up to was indeed water. A huge rushing river was running right in front of them. Press looked up the river and saw Brent walking toward a waterfall. Press ran to catch-up. Brent disappeared behind the waterfall. Press followed. After a few more turns down a lot more tunnels they came to a spiral staircase. They cam out on a steep hill overlooking a beautiful city. It reminded Press of ancient Egypt before it was weathered. Brent and Press walked down the hill and Brent led him through the city. They came to a hut and Brent knocked on the door. A beautiful woman answered the door. She had dark skin and big brown eyes. She looked about 23 and had a great big smile.

"Hey there, Quor, guess who's after us?"

"Who would that be?"

"It's Saint Dane."

"Hurry come in, come in."

They went in and they all sat down on very comfortable mats. Quor and Brent sat across from Press. There was an empty mat next to him.

"Osa! Could you come in here?" Quor called.

A girl about Press' age entered the room. She looked exactly like Quor except a little more beautiful. Osa sat down next to Press.

" Alright, if you want answers here they are. Ask away." Brent said.

"Who's Saint Dane?"Press asked

"Saint Dane is an evil traveler , who is bent on ruling Halla."

"What's a traveler and what's Halla?"

"A traveler is a person who flies through the universe making sure that everything is OK. Halla is every time, place, and person."

"You said something about territories earlier, define a territory."

" There are ten territories in all. We're on the territory called Zadaa. We're from Second Earth."

"Ok."

"What's a flume?" Osa asked. This made Press jump.

"A flume is a traveler's way to travel between territories."

Suddenly a knock came at the door. Quor answered it. As soon as she opened the door, there was a scream and Quor flew back into the wall with a thud. Osa,Brent, and Press ran toward the door. In the doorway, stood Saint Dane.He smiled his nasty smile.

"Welcome to Zadaa, Press."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

No one said a word for at least 30 seconds, which felt like a lifetime to Press. Saint Dane started walking towards the remaining three. Brent finally snapped out of the shock of what happened and grabbed Press and Osa and through them out a nearby window. They landed in the grass with a soft thud. They sat on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful city. Osa turned to Press.

"What could that evil man want with Xhaxhu?"

"Remember when we were talking some guy named Saint Dane?"

"Yes."

"Well that's him and what's Xhaxhu?"

Osa started to say something but Brent jumped out of the window with Quor hanging over his shoulder.

"Is she ok?" Press asked.

"Not for long. C'mon Saint Dane's still in there."

They all started to sprint down the hill and towards the city. After a while they came to the trap door that led down towards the flume. One by one they all climbed down the foot and handholds to the bottom of the cave. They stopped for a minute to catch their breathe. Brent was by the mouth of the flume talking to himself,

"What is Saint Dane doing just coming after us? He usually stays back and watches the pieces fall into place."

Suddenly the trapdoor opened and everyone heard a wicked laugh.

"_Cloral!_" Brent yelled.

Saint Dane jumped down from the top landing on his feet. He walked over to Press, who couldn't move. Saint Dane lashed out and punched Press right in the jaw. There was a sickening crack.

"Go to the flume!" Brent yelled. Press didn't notice the light coming to get them. The light was almost at the mouth. Press quickly tackled Saint Dane to the ground and sprinted over to the mouth of the flume.

"Just wait, my partner will get you." Saint Dane warned and with those final words the flume carried Press and the others to the mystery territory of Cloral.

Tom Dorney sat at home watching The _Brady Bunch _on his TV. There came a knock at the door. Tom's mother told him someone was at the door for him. When Tom arrived at the door he thought it would be Press. No one else would be over at 8 o clock. But instead of Press it was a boy of Tom's age. He was shorter than most sixteen year olds and he had a goofy smile. He stuck out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Patrick."

Tom took his hand and shook it slowly, very confused.

"I know about Press and I need to talk to you about him. Let's go for a walk."

"Mom! I'm going for a walk!" Tom yelled and closed the door.

"What do you know about Press?" Tom asked

"Ok listen, I'll answer your questions later. I have to talk." He held out his hand. Lying in his palm was a dark gray ring. It had a gray like pearl in the center.

"My father invented these. You can talk to Press through them."

So Patrick told Tom the story about the Travelers and Saint Dane.

"So you're telling me... that Press is somewhere across the universe?"

"Yeah."

"I don't believe you."

"Just wear the ring. If it starts to twitch, go someplace private. A journal will arrive that's handwritten by Press. Trust me." Patrick and Tom walked back to Tom's house and said good-bye. Patrick went over and jumped on the back of a Harley.

"What if I need to talk to you?"

"Yell John into the ring and drop a written message."

"Ok?"

"Just do it. You'll understand."

"Whatever."

"Remember you're the Acolyte from Second Earth now. Trust me." Patrick then rode down the street on the motorcycle. Tom had no idea what to expect.

Press and the others were now floating in a pool of water after the flume ride. Quor lay on the shoreline as the rest of the travelers floated in the water. Press looked at Brent.

Brent was obviously thinking of what to do next. Osa just kept looking at her aunt.

"We're on the wrong territory."

"What are you talking about?"

"Saint Dane heard me call the flume for Cloral. Let him spend the next month looking for us when we're not even here."

"Good idea but where are we gonna go?"

"How about home?"

"Oh yeah. Totally. Let's go."

"_Second Earth!_" Brent called.

The light quickly came and took them away. As they flew through the stars Brent saw a tunnel of light going through space outside of the flume he saw a figure quickly go through the light.

"_What took him so long to come after us?" _Press thought.

Press didn't think about it and went back home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The ride through the flume was peaceful after a while. Press spent most of the time feeling his jaw where Saint Dane hit him. All he did was dislocate it, but Press quickly popped it back into place. When they arrived at the mouth of the flume, Press saw Osa and Brent looking towards the wall. Press saw there was writing on the wall. It said:

**MY PARTNER IS AFTER YOU**

"Who could possibly have done this?" Osa said.

"It's obvious. This has Saint Dane all over it." Brent said

"What should we do?"

"He obviously knows we're here but he doesn't know where. Second Earth is a big territory. It will take him a while to find us." Brent answered

"But who's his partner?" Osa asked.

"I'm not sure, but we need to get out of here and to my apartment."

"We _really_ need to figure out what territory we're going to go to next." Press said

Brent looked over to Press with a big smile.

"Now you're starting to sound like a traveler."

"I'm starting to look at this as a big game, like football. The other team does an unexpected play and you counter quickly."

"Good idea, Press. We have to hurry." Brent said as he checked his watch, "A train will be coming soon so we should leave now."

Brent walked over and picked Quor up, who had been lying on the floor. Press opened the door and everyone file out through the door ahead of him. Soundly the jumble of sweet notes started up. Press closed the door quickly.

"Somebody's coming!" he yelled. They all started to slide down the wall towards the station. The wall was as always gross and covered with oil and goop. A train horn sounded behind them.

"What was that?" Osa asked.

"Brent! A train!"

"We're to far from the station! "He yelled back

"Just run, you have Quor if you can put her on the platform she'll be fine!"

The train just kept coming. Every second the rumbling kept getting louder and louder. The horn was so loud it hurt Press' ears. Press looked and saw Brent sprinting down the tracks, with Quor bobbling around his shoulders. Press looked towards Osa who was behind him. She had a scared look on her face.

"It'll be ok, Osa, just lean back against the wall. The train will pass us and we'll be fine." The both put their backs to the wall. Osa reached over and grabbed Press' hand. He squeezed it back. It felt like an earthquake to Press. The train came at 90 miles an hour. It seemed to last for 10 minutes but it was more ten seconds. When the train was finally gone Press started to breathe again.

"Phew. That was close. Ok Osa, you go ahead of me." Press said. Osa stepped over Press' feet and continued up the tracks. Press looked back towards the flume and saw someone's head sticking out of the door. It looked like-

"Dad?" Press said. The figure quickly pulled its head back inside the door.

Press met up with the others at the subway station. He tried to tell Brent but he decided not to.

"_It was just my mind playing tricks on me."_ He thought

They went up the stairs and out onto the streets of the Bronx. Press was surprised that the Mustang from earlier was still there. Press helped Brent get Quor in the back seat and then hopped in the front. Brent started the car and took off down the streets. Press looked back to Osa and saw her cradling her aunt's head in her lap. It really touched Press.

"Where's your apartment at? You never told me you lived near us." Press asked.

"I never use it. I just have it for emergencies or times of need. Like now." Brent answered

They never turned onto a highway to go to Stony Brook. Instead they went towards Manhattan. They drove for about twenty minutes and stopped at a hotel. It was tall and pink. All the walls ended in a point at the top. The pink wasn't vibrant, it was actually soothing.

"This is the Manhattan Tower Hotel. I live in the penthouse up top. It used to belong to and old gangster boss guy about 50 years ago. Let's go." Brent said. He went over to the car and grabbed Quor.

He carried her unconscious body inside to the elevator. They all piled in and rode the elevator to the 30th floor. When they arrived in the house, Press and Osa plopped on the couch while Brent laid Quor on the bed in the other room. He came out of the room with a dark look on his face.

"She's hurt pretty bad." He said

"What happened to her?" Osa asked.

"When I threw you two out the window, Saint Dane went after Quor. She used everything she knew to fight back but Saint Dane got her. She has some scratched and bruises and a couple cracked ribs. She'll make it but she'll be hurt for a while."

"How long can we lay low?" Press asked.

"As long as possible, which will probably be a week. It's just enough time to figure out which territory to go to next."

"Can I give Osa a tour?"

"No, you're not allowed to leave the penthouse."

Press gave a frustrated sigh and laid back on the couch.

"What territories are there?"

"Like I said earlier there are ten. First, Second, and Third Earth. Cloral, Zaddaa, Veelox, Quillan, Eelong, Denduron, and Tazexx. I don't know anything about Third Earth though. I've never been there."

"So if Second Earth is now...First Earth is in the past and Third earth is in the future?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go to Third Earth."

"Well, that was a fast decision. Why should we go there?"

"Cause I want to and Saint Dane wouldn't expect it."

"How?"

"Well if we're on Second Earth now, then he'd probably expect us to go to one of the other territories that you would know about. Let's go to Third Earth. Plus he wouldn't expect a childish answer like mine."

"Good answer. Fine, we go there next week."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

For the next few days everyone sat and watched as Quor recovered from her injuries. Press did the best he could to show Osa a good time. They went into the hallways and played soccer and football.  
Press taught Osa how to play and she caught on quickly. Soon he was able to play as hard as he could and still have competition. Press wanted to hang around Brent too, but he kept checking on Quor or walking out to get food. Quor was also healing much better than Brent figured as well. After a couple days she was able to walk around and talk, and tell jokes. She had bandages around her head and ribs. She had to walk around in the robes from Zaddaa because they didn't have time to change in the flume.

"Where do those clothes come from?" Press asked one night

"There are people called acolytes who help the travelers. They put clothes at the flumes when travelers from different territories come to the one the acolytes are at."

"How do they know?"

"I'm not sure but every traveler has one."

"You mean I have one?"

"No, you have to choose, when the time allows it. Now that Quor's all fixed up, we need to go. I'll be right back; I'm gonna go get some clothes for us so we blend in." Brent said. He grabbed the keys to the car and left out of the door. Press walked over to the window and looked out towards the city. He could see the World Trade Center Towers. The towers always inspired him. He wondered how far in the future Third Earth was.

"_It's 1979 now. Is Third Earth in 2000? 1989? Maybe it's so far in the future, there is no number for it. I think too much" _he chuckled in amusement at his own thoughts.

Osa walked over and put her hand on Press' shoulder. He reached and touched her hand. He felt happy with her around.

"As ugly as one building looks, the whole area is beautiful at night."

"Yeah, I love New York. It's the best place in the world. See those two tall towers that look identical?" He said pointing towards the towers," Those are called the Twin Towers. They've inspired me since I was little. They somehow give me hope. They tell me that nothing is impossible. It must of taking so long to make them so tall."

"You're worried about Saint Dane, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah, I'm scared as hell."

"You need to get some sleep."

"No we're leaving soon, I can't go to sleep anyways. I'm nowhere near tired."

Press could hear the door lock being fumbled with as Brent tried to enter. But it wasn't Brent who entered. It was just a head that popped in but it again looked like-

"Dad?" Press asked The head quickly disappeared. Press grabbed his coat and went after the figure. He ran into the hallway and looked for him. He saw him disappear behind the corner. He ran after him into the stairwell. He looked down the stairwell and saw the guy running down the stairs. The guy's coat tails were flapping as he ran. Press ran down the stairs after him. When he arrived at the lobby he saw the guy running out onto the street. He chased him until the heavy traffic separated them. Press looked over the cars to see the guy running down a subway kiosk. It was a direct route to the Bronx. Press hopped over a taxi and sprinted across the street. When he arrived at the station, he saw that the train was already there. He also saw the figure disappear into the train with his coat tails flapping behind him. Press sprinted to make sure the train didn't leave him behind. He jumped through the doors just in time. He saw the figure go into the next car behind them. He kept going back to the end of the train. Press followed until they were both in the last car. The figure stopped. Press saw that he was wearing a hat that covered his eyes and shadowed his face. The figure turned and faced Press. He smiled

"This is my stop, Pressie boy." He said. He then opened the emergency door and jumped out while the train was still moving. The few people on the train gasped and Press ran to the door. He saw the guy standing in the middle of the tracks. The guy ran over to the wall and pushed. Light came flooding out as the guy went into the flume. Saint Dane's partner has just found Press and the others.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Press stayed on the train until it made its trip to Manhattan again. The train ride was uneventful. Press rode and walked up to the hotel when he arrived. He took the elevator to the 30th floor and walked to the penthouse door. He opened it slowly. Brent, Osa and Quor were all sitting on the couch looking worried.

"I wonder where he is." Osa said.

"Probably lying dead, in a sewer. Stupid kid." Brent said, tears going down his face

"Or he could be right in the penthouse." Press said

Everyone ran up to greet him. Osa and Quor hugged him and Brent sat back and smiled. Quor and Osa let go of Press so Brent could talk to him. He came up to Press, still smiling. He then smacked Press on the side of the head, hard.

"Do you know how worried we were!? You went off on your own!? After who? Saint Dane? You're still in your robes from Zaddaa!" Brent yelled

"I'm sorry. It was Saint Dane's partner. I saw him."

"How do you know it was Saint Dane's partner!?" Brent yelled still furious

"I saw him go in the flume!"

"Oh." Brent said obviously feeling bad for yelling

"Yeah I chased him on a subway that went directly to the Bronx. He went into the last car and jumped out the emergency door. He went over to the wall and pushed open the door to go into the flume."

"Did you see what he looked like?"

"He was wearing a hat that covered his face but I thought he was-. No It's impossible. Never mind."

"Nothing's impossible when you're a traveler, Press. Who was it?"

"It looked like Dad."

Brent was silent. He started to pace the room. Press sat down in a nearby armchair. Brent continued to pace. As he passed Press, he could hear Brent mumbling under his breath.

"No, that can't be right...can it? Maybe...."

Brent stopped pacing. He looked to Press.

"We need to go to Third Earth_ now_."

Brent went over to the closet and pulled out three Macy's bags. He through clothes to everyone.

"Put these on. Hurry. We need to leave right away."

Once everyone was dressed, they headed out. They all piled in the Mustang, Brent and Quor in the front; Press and Osa in the back. When they arrived at the station the doorway was all covered with wood.

"What should we do?" asked Osa

Brent answered by going and ripping off two pieces of wood in the middle of the wooden wall. Everyone walked through the space and onto the platform. They jumped down and reached the flume.

"_Third Earth!" _Brent called to the flume. The familiar notes and light came and took them away to Third Earth. The ride was peaceful, as usual. When they arrived, Press thought he had arrived back on Second Earth.

"Are we still on Second Earth?" Press asked

"Nope. It only looks like it." Brent replied.

He went over and sorted the pile of clothes. Everyone changed into their clothes and opened the door to the subway. The subway tracks were bright, with white neon lights running the length of the entire track. Everything was clean too. When they hopped up onto the platform there was a railing in the middle of it. Press ran up to the railing to see what it was for. When he looked, he saw the hugest underground city ever. It was huge, going thirty or forty levels down. There were restaurants and anything else that would be in a little town. They rode and escalator to the top and Press saw something amazing. Instead of the concrete city of New York it was like a giant park. They walked until they heard the honk of a horn. Press looked to see a slick looking golf cart type car driving next to them. In the driver seat was an older looking guy with long blonde hair and a brown goatee. In the passenger seat was a kid about Press' age with shaggy brown hair and a goofy smile.

"Hey there, Brent." The kid said

"Hey Patrick, Hi Bill." Brent said to both of them.

"You guys wanna tour of New York?" The older guy asked. He had a deep southern accent.

"Sure, but let's walk."

The two got out of the car. The kid came up to Press and Osa.

"Hey, I'm Patrick."

"I'm Press."

"I'm Osa."

"What territory are you guys from?"

"I'm from Second Earth."

"I'm from Zaddaa."

"That's cool. You guys wanna see New York?"

"Totally."

"Let's go. Hey Bill! We're going on a tour."

"Don't be gone long."

So Patrick took Osa and Press around New York. Everything was so advanced. Press wondered what year it was.

"What year is it, Patrick?"

"4983."

"Whoa! That's like 5000 years in the future!"

"To you it is, but me it's now."

They came to the Empire State Building. It looked very sleek with its shiny metal sides.

"Wanna see New York from up top?"

"Yeah."

So they went up onto the top floor of the Empire State Building. They could see the Statue of Liberty.

"Where's the Twin Towers?"

"The what?"

"The World Trade Center towers?"

"Oh those. I read about them in history the other days."

"What happened to them?"

"In the year 2001, terrorists hijacked some planes and crashed them into the towers. They were destroyed. It was really sad. We watched footage from old times and it made me want to cry. See the tallest building out there?" Patrick said pointing to the building. "They put that there in remembrance of them."

Press looked down at the ground. He felt tears in his eyes. They slowly rolled down his cheek.

"C'mon let's go back to the others." Osa said

Press wasn't liking Third Earth very much.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Press, Patrick, and Osa walked back to the others. They were still in the giant park, but now they were sitting on a bench. Press was over the tower thing now. They all sat around and talked. Bill suddenly sat up a little straighter and looked more stern.

"You all really shouldn't be here. The people in the Space Colonies are revolting against the people on Earth. There's been a war going on for about a couple years."

"What can we do to help?" Brent asked.

"They've instituted a draft. All able bodied men and women, age fifteen to age 45, have to fight."

"I'll fight." Press said

"Press, are you crazy!"

"No, I've finally seen the future. It's no different than home, just advanced technology. This is gonna be a war to end all wars." Press looked at everyone. They looked back. Brent closed his eyes and turned away, "Fine, go get yourself killed."

"I will. Now am I in this alone?"

"No. I'm with you." Patrick said

"So am I." Osa said

"We can't let all of you go in this alone. We're in too." Bill said, "Right?"

"Right." Quor said

"Only because I don't want you to get killed." Brent said

"Where do we go to sign up?"

"Right down the road. We'd better go."

So everyone went to the recruiting station. They came to a bland room with a desk and a picture of an American eagle behind the desk. They immediately got their weapons and uniform. The uniform was dark silver. It had their names on the chest and an American Flag on the shoulder. The guns they had, were like a half circle. The straight end was the handle and you squeezed it to fire. Press squeezed his gun and a beam shot out of it. It hit the street and a hole about 6 inches in diameter had appeared. Bill came out of the recruiting building looking grim.

"We're going up right away. They're running low on reinforcements and they need immediate help."

"How are we getting up there?" Brent asked

"Wait, wait, wait, and wait. You mean 'up there' as in space?"

"Yes."

"We're going up into space to fight in the war?"

"As soon as tomorrow, but first they want us in a simulation."

"What's a simulation?" Osa asked

"We'll be in a big underground room. There's no gravity and are weapons are fake. You'll be cold, but when you get hit you suddenly become warm."

"That's cool."

"Where is the room?"

"It's under Battery Park. Spectators will be there watching us but just ignore them."

They walked from the Recruiting Station in Time Square, south to Battery Park. They walked down some stairs and came to one of the big underground cities.

People were walking everywhere. Crowds piled in stores. There were private looking doors which Press thought, were probably apartments. They came to a room with a desk and a guy about in his twenties.

"We're with the military and need a private room."

The guy pressed a button on his desk and a door opened off to his left. They went in a started their simulation. The room was about the size of a football field. The ceiling was about fifty feet high and they floated freely. All the walls were black except one, and that was made of glass for people to see through. Press could make out little chairs for people to sit in behind the glass. Suddenly the ceiling opened up and six little boxes fell down.

Press tried to go for it but couldn't move. He tried to move his arm but something wouldn't let him. On the far wall at the end of the room, was a countdown.

3.....

2......

1.....

Suddenly Press felt he could move. He made a fist and tried to move, but as soon as he made a fist he shot forward. He looked back and saw a trail of smoke following him. He saw the trail ended at his feet.

"_So my feet have little jets in them." _ He thought

He tested out his jets all around the room. He figured out the harder you make a fist, the faster you go. He quickly jetted across the room and grabbed a box. He opened it and inside he saw a gun and a few badge looking things. They were shaped like a triangle and had a button in the middle. He pushed the button and waited for something to happen. He accidentally dropped it and it floated up past his head. Suddenly an orange ball appeared around it. It kept growing and growing until it was big enough for a pro wrestler to fit inside with a couple cats.

"_I guess that acts as a grenade."_ Press thought

The others had already grabbed their guns and were trying to figure out the grenades.

Press took his gun and shot at Brent and Osa. Quor got out of the way while Bill and Patrick jetted off to a far wall. Press jetted off after Quor, he aimed and missed Quor by millimeters. Suddenly Press felt very warm.

"_Dang it, someone got me!" _

He looked up and saw Bill fly by. Bill saluted and flew off after Quor.

Press just floated and waited for the end.


End file.
